Chapter 18

When John reported to work the next morning he was filled with mixed emotions. He quickly slipped into his uniform and was headed to the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee. The previous shift was still in service and his partner hadn't arrived yet.

Cap met John in the apparatus bay and John could tell as his first glance that something was wrong.

"John, you have a visitor in the office," Hank announced and by the look on his face and the tone of his voice John knew it wasn't anyone he wanted to see. "The last shift let him in, they didn't know any better."

"Who, Tom?" John guessed. He looked at his watch, if the information he had been given by Elise's lawyer, Dr. Brackett's father, Greg was on a plane by now headed back to Montana under a police escort to face charges of assault and abuse for the way he pushed drugs into Elise in excess of the doctor's orders. He had been informed that Tom had agreed to be his council and had a plane ticket to follow Greg in a little over two hours. He had no idea where the other three sisters were or what their plans were concerning keeping contact with Elise, only time would tell.

Whatever Tom wanted of him, John was determined not to give it to him and in his pocket he had a protective order, restricting Tom, or Greg from making any contact or coming any closer than one hundred yards from his or Elise's presence. John knew the order wouldn't be filed till later that day, something he was sure Tom was going to use against him, but he also knew that having a copy of the order in his hand was all that he needed to call the police and have Tom taken from the premises.

"Cap," Johnny finally spoke he held one hand on his hip and the other leaned against the wall. "You better call for police assistance in removing him from the station," John waved the paper in his hand.

John remained at his Captain's shoulder in the common room while he made the call, he was mentally preparing himself to not in any way reveal that Tom's estranged wife was staying in his apartment.

His thoughts were scrambled though, due to his mind swimming with thoughts of Elise, She had, had a good night but she was rattled and frustrated by a newly discovered loss of memory. John had spend quite a bit of time last night assuring her that it was to be expected with the head injury and trying to get her to calm down about it, since it clearly only covered a short period of time and there had to be a lot of documents that would help her fill in the blank spots.

The first thing Johnny had done after he received his message from Emily the day before at the hospital, was to search out and talk to Elise's doctors to find out that prior to her seizure she was frustrated and confused about not remembering the information the detectives wanted to know. The seizure had been severe enough to require heavy sedation to get it under control but everything else seemed to be working fine including her pacemaker.

John was then able to say good-bye to the Stanley's before calling the Arson investigation team to find out what they wanted from him. It had taken a little phone tag but John was able to talk to Rachel and learn that the information the detective's wanted was in one of the boxes stacked in his living room and she agreed to bring the box with her to the hospital and go over it with the police while JoAnne brought the children to the station. Everyone involved agreed to that plan including Elise's lawyer, Mr. Brackett.

00000

When the police officer entered the day room Hank took the copy of the protective order from John's hand and walked over to discuss the situation with him before leading him to the office. John took that moment to walk out of the day room and to the office where he leaned against the door jam with his hands in his pockets not saying a word just waiting for Tom to make the next move.

Since he had let him in and welcomed the man to make himself comfortable until John arrived before he was informed of the nature of the situation concerning the man in question, Captain Hookraider was sitting in the office with him until the police arrived along with his shifts engineer to make it look like he was doing business while they waited but Hookraider also wanted a witness and an extra strong arm in anything got out of hand.

"John," Tom quickly jumped to his feet and placed his briefcase on the desk opening it up. "I need you to sign some papers so I can make sure a little situation is taken care of for Elise."

John said not a word or even moved from his position as Tom pulled several papers out of his briefcase and set them on the table folding the stapled documents to the place for a signature and placing a pen on the papers near the signing line. "If you'll just sign here," Tom began holding his finger next to a line and looking up to John.

Still not saying a word John walked over and picked up the papers and turned them to the first page and started looking them over.

"There's no need to read them," Tom started talking fast, "they're all written in legal language I'm sure you don't completely understand.

John just looked at him with a glare of mistrust as he noticed the reflection of the police officer and Captain Stanley in the window and knew they were right behind him. "I wouldn't sign anything you handed me if my life depended on it but I do think I'll give these papers to Elise's Lawyer to see what he thinks of them." John commented then turned to leave the room with the papers still in his hands. "If nothing else it will make it easier for him to stop you from doing whatever it is you're trying to do."

John felt himself slammed in to the door frame, His head was momentarily swimming and seeing stars as he noticed not one but two police officers hurrying past him and felt hands taking hold of his arms and pulling him out of the way and into the day room where he was forced to sit down in a chair and held there by the hands of at least two different people on his shoulder. As his head cleared John noticed Captain Stanley on one shoulder and Mike Stoker on the other.

The next thing he noticed was paramedics Jackson and McGuire setting the equipment down on the table in front of him.

"I'm alright," John protested making sure he still had the document in his hands as he tried to get to his feet in response to the loud screaming and scuffling heard in the apparatus bay.

"You will sit still and not move from this chair until you have been checked out," Captain Stanley ordered, "and if they decide you should be checked out by a doctor you will go willingly and quietly." It was very clear there was no room for discussion on the issue as John heard someone call in a code I and take the station out of service for a police investigation.

The sound of screaming became quieter after the sound of the bay door opening and John knew his nemesis was being wrestled out to a police car; he was sure in hand cuffs.

"Looks like you got quite a bump on the head there John," McGuire commented as he flashed a light in his eyes. John sighed as he let Jackson place a blood pressure cuff around his arm then stop to count a pulse and respirations, "Can you tell me what day it is?"

"Thursday," John spoke in aggravated tones. "My name is John Roderick Gage, and I'm at station 51 where I'm early for duty for once. But I was early before I got the bump on my head so you can't say I'm experiencing personality change do to a head injury."

"Okay, Okay message received," McGuire smiled, "But we still have our job to do buddy boy, you don't want your captain to be angry with us and put us on report do you?"

"Blood pressure is 150 over 98," Jackson called out, "a little high there buddy, Pulse 140 and respirations 20 and strong."

"You're blood pressure would be high to if you knew anything about that jerk in there." John responded.

"I assume you plan to press charges then," they heard from the door way and John looked up to see Vince Howard standing in the doorway removing his helmet and placing it under his arm as he pulled a note book and pen out of a pocket. "We have eight witnesses who have declared that he attacked you without provocation."

"He was provoked alright," John admitted, "I'm not as stupid as he thought I should be and I didn't let him bully me into signing some papers he wanted me to sign, and yes I'm pressing charges, besides attacking me he is also in violation of a protective order to stay away from Me and Elise." An instant ice pack was placed on his head by one of the paramedics and held in place by Mike as Captain Stanley moved to the phone to call Rampart for the paramedics to get treatment instructions.

"Very well then," Vince began, "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions."

"Ask away," John invited trying to hold his own ice pack to feel a little less held down.

"What is the nature of the disagreement between you and Mr. …" Vince turned a page in his notebook looking for the name.

"Sulston, Thomas Sulston," John filled in the missing information, "he a sleazy lawyer from Montana and I've gotten in the way of him using his legal prowess to take over properties and the estate of his sister-in-Law Elise Holbrook. Elise's Lawyer is currently filing charges against him for falsifying documents and forging signatures, embezzlement of funds and I don't know what all else. But there's a good chance he's going to do time for his actions," John answered as the rest of the firemen from the previous shift slipped in to the day room and poured themselves cups of coffee before standing around the room to sip the brew while they listened in on the life and times of John Gage for entertainment along with Marco who had just arrived for shift. "He's even tried to stop her from getting the medical treatment she needed."

"I can attest to that," Hank spoke up for his man, "So can Dr. Brackett and the administrator and lawyer representing Rampart. He tried to stop John from signing for Emergency surgery she needed to save her life, just a few days ago."

"Okay," Vince mumbled as he wrote in his book. "So what is your connection with this Elise Holbrook?"

"Connection?" John was distracted trying to read the documents Tom had tried to get him to sign.

"Yes what is your relationship to Miss Holbrook, At least I assume its miss?"

"No actually it's Mrs. Mrs. John Gage as a matter of fact, she's my wife." John was half blinded by the ice pack on his forehead still being held in place by Mike, he was also still trying to make sense of the papers still in his hand. He did not see the look of shock and disbelief on Vince's or anyone else's face at his declaration.

"Are you joking," Vince commented in shear disbelief as he leaned into the table to steady himself, "John this is no joking matter here."

"I'm not joking," John pulled away from Mike enough to look with an unobstructed view at Vince, as he held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers showing off his wedding ring, "I got married four days ago."

It sounded like there was an explosion in the fire station as five coffee mugs filled with coffee hit the floor and shattered. McGuire dropped the phone hand set and he hit the wall cracking it's housing in three places.

Cap and Marco helped the stunned firefighters and police officer to a seat before Mike, who still held John's ice pack and his shoulder to keep him in place, asked, "Is this what we looked like last shift when we got the news?"

Marco started giggling uncontrollably and Cap couldn't help but join in, "Yeah, pretty much," he shook his head and looked at the mess on the floor to be cleaned up.

"Rampart wants us to bring Gage in to be checked out," McGuire informed after he managed to get control of the phone again.

Before anyone was able to make a move Roy DeSoto and Chief McConnike entered the day room, Roy reporting for duty, Chief McConnike responding to the out of service for police investigation at the station call.

Roy took in his partner being held in a chair by Mike, an ice pack on his head and a blood pressure cuff on his arm, surrounded by the previous shift all looking like they needed the blood pressure cuff more than John did. "What happened?"

Chief McConnike took in the look of the outgoing shift as they sat in chairs and the broken coffee mugs on the floor. "Looks like the word is getting out there Gage, Maybe I better send out a memo to see if we can cut down on broken coffee mugs."

"That's not a bad idea Chief," Captain Stanley remarked.

It was determined that Roy could take John in to Rampart to be checked over as the outgoing crew from 51's was sent for cold showers to shock them back into the here and now. Mike and Marco got to work mopping up the day room floor and scooping up broken coffee mugs when Chet found his way into the room trying to figure out what had happened.

Officer Howard managed to pull himself together to follow the squad to the hospital to finish his report and talk with the other people who knew of the conflict between John and this Tom Sulston, to get whatever they had to add. The last thing Vince needed was the name of John and Elise's Lawyer and he promised to get the prosecuting attorney to contact him for further information on the case.

Dr. Morton gave John a good looking over and determined he was able to finish his shift as long as Roy kept an eye on him and checked his pupils and cognitive ability every couple of hours or so and hauled him in if anything even felt out of normal. One more check on the vitals and John's blood pressure was down to 130/88 prompting Dr. Morton to order that vital be checked at least twice before evening.

Before John and Roy left for the station, John gave the document he had been asked to sign to Dr. Brackett to hand over to his father when he arrived later. He then hurried up to Elise's room and gave her a passionate kiss before convincing her that the red spot on his head was just a mark from his helmet, he promise to check in with her whenever he was in the hospital.

Then Roy stuck his head in the room, "We've got a run partner, Cardiac at the Mall."